Parliamentary Elections, 26 March 2006

In response to an invitation from the Ukrainian authorities, ODIHR deployed an election observation mission on 23 January to observe the parliamentary elections on 26 March.

Headed by Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj of Slovakia, the mission included 12 election experts in Kyiv and 52 long-term observers deployed across Ukraine. On election day, the OSCE/ODIHR deployed over 900 observers from a total of 44 OSCE participating States.

According to the mission's final report: "The 26 March parliamentary elections were conducted largely in line with OSCE Commitments, Council of Europe commitments and other international standards for democratic elections. Overall, civil and political rights were respected, including the fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly. An inclusive candidate registration process and a vibrant media environment provided for genuine competition. This enabled voters to make informed choices between distinct political alternatives. Progress in the electoral process, already evident during the 26 December 2004 repeat second round of the Presidential election, was further consolidated."

On election day, the mission joined efforts with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Previous elections

ODIHR has observed a number of elections in Ukraine, including the 1999 presidential election, the 2002 parliamentary elections and the 2004 presidential election.